Fairway deepening officially kicked off this week in the Port of Gothenburg as part of the Skandia Gateway project.
The work had already unofficially started with excavation and diving works when representatives from the port, the shipping world, the cargo owner side, and politics had gathered at the far end of the quay in Skandiahamnen – the Port of Gothenburg container terminal to celebrate the start of the long-planned project, which also includes quay reinforcement.
"When this project is completed by the turn of the year 2027-2028, Swedish industry will have better transport conditions and be better connected to the rest of the world. This in itself means that Sweden's competitiveness increases, which is the driving force at the Port of Gothenburg," said Göran Eriksson, CEO at the Gothenburg Port Authority during the ceremony.
The fairway will be deepened from 13.5 up to a maximum of 17.5 meters of ship draft, and dredging work is scheduled to conclude in Q3 2026.
Meanwhile, initial ground works and regular terminal operations continue in full swing.
Swedish Infrastructure and Housing Minister Andreas Carlson was among the stakeholders present, and he chose to emphasize the importance of the Skandia Gateway project, considering "Sweden Inc’s" conditions to continue developing the country's prosperity:
"This is crucial not least because Sweden is such an export-dependent industrial country. Shipping and ports have key positions to ensure that growth can continue, that more jobs can be created, and that it can happen in a climate-sustainable way that enables us to reach our ambitious climate goals."